“Will do!”
This phrase, which Fogarty communications and education associate Lizbeth Villalobos uses almost reflexively as an email response when asked for help, captures the positivity and can-do spirit that have made Villalobos an invaluable member of the Fogarty Innovation team.
She came to Fogarty Innovation as part of the 2022 Lefteroff Internship class, after learning about the opportunity through the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula (BGCP). Fogarty has a long-standing partnership with BGCP, helping introduce students to careers in medical technology innovation and providing opportunities to get involved.
An internship at a nonprofit educational medtech incubator wasn’t an obvious choice for a management and business economics major, but Villalobos has always been drawn to new experiences, even when they require hard work. She jokes that her biggest fear is a work environment that is dull and repetitive, making Fogarty Innovation—with its mix of education, incubation, and alliance programs—a natural fit.
Breaking new ground
A first-generation college student, Villalobos is the oldest of four children. Her parents came to the US from Mexico as teenagers. “They didn’t even finish middle school because they lived in a rural area that was so far from the school that they couldn’t both attend school and help out at home,” she said. “They both had family in the Bay Area, so they came here and started working. And this is where they met.”
Growing up, her parents urged Villalobos and her siblings to prioritize their education and go to college. “My parents always reminded me that I had opportunities they never did,” she said. “They wanted me to take full advantage of them.”
The journey wasn’t easy, though. After her parents divorced, Villalobos watched her mother shoulder the responsibility of raising four children alone. As the oldest, she stepped into a caregiving role herself—driving siblings to appointments, helping with family chores, and balancing those obligations with school.
She also took a job at the Stanford University dining halls. “I’d work a few days a week after school and on weekends,” she recalls. “I wanted to ease the financial pressure on my mom and start paying for my own things.”
At the same time, Villalobos actively sought out programs that could help make college a reality. Getting involved with BGCP, which provides achievement-oriented afterschool programs for students in the Ravenswood school district, was the first step.
In high school, she joined AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), a nonprofit college readiness program designed to help students prepare for higher education and close opportunity gaps. “We learned skills like note-taking, time management, and critical thinking,” she recalled. “The study groups became a great source of peer support.”
AVID also took students on three-day college tours throughout California. During one of those trips, Villalobos discovered UC Merced. “I felt like it was a perfect fit,” she recalled. “Because it was fairly new, it was still small, and it wasn’t too far from home. My best friend and I decided we would go there together.”
To help her reach that goal, she joined another BGCP program called Future Grads. “Future Grads helps first-generation students apply to college,” said Villalobos. “And even after graduation, they continue to assist with scholarship applications, jobs, internships, and one-on-one mentoring.”
A full ride
Villalobos’ hard work paid off when she learned about the Pursuit of Excellence Scholarship through AVID and decided to apply. She won a full-ride scholarship to UC Merced.
During college, Villalobos remained connected to Future Grads and her mentor, Cynthia Duran. “She supported me from the moment I joined the program,” Villalobos described. “She always made sure I knew she was there to help and she continued to encourage me to pursue new opportunities.”
One of those opportunities arrived in the form of an email from Future Grads describing Fogarty Innovation and the Lefteroff Internship program. Duran helped her apply.
Joining Fogarty Innovation
At Fogarty, Villalobos was most surprised by the camaraderie. “I expected the office environment to be buttoned up and formal and that I would spend all day at my desk,” she said. “Instead, the environment is casual and friendly, and even though people work really hard, they clearly have a lot of fun.”
During the internship, Villalobos supported the Fogarty operations team and quickly earned the respect of colleagues across the organization. When the program ended, Fogarty COO Denise Demarais reached out to ask whether she would be interested in taking on remote projects while she finished school. She gladly accepted.
Over time, she became increasingly involved in Fogarty’s education and communications programs, working closely with program leaders Marga Ortigas-Wedekind and Stacey McCutcheon. The work requires both analytical skills and creativity—a combination that she finds appealing and challenging.
After graduating, Villalobos joined the organization full time, continuing to work primarily with Ortigas-Wedekind and McCutcheon.
“Lizbeth brings a rare combination of initiative, creativity, and reliability. If something needs to get done, she finds a way to make it happen—and she does it with enthusiasm and a smile. She is a real team player,” said Ortigas-Wedekind.
Today Villalobos continues to expand her skills and responsibilities, helping organize the Lefteroff Internship and a new Lefteroff Alumni Group, and taking on other projects in addition to her core responsibilities.
She also helps lead Fogarty Gives Back, a volunteer service program that helps Fogarty employees and companies contribute to the local community. One initiative holds particular meaning for Villalobos: the annual Backpack Drive. Through a partnership with Family Giving Tree, Fogarty employees and companies gather school supplies and fill backpacks with everything students need to start the academic year successfully.
“The management company of our apartment building used to hold back-to-school drives for residents, and I would take my siblings to get backpacks there,” she said. “Now, I’m helping fill up backpacks. It feels really good, like I’ve come full circle.”
The experience has reinforced a lesson Villalobos learned early: opportunities often lead to more opportunities. From BGCP and AVID to Future Grads, a scholarship to UC Merced, and ultimately Fogarty Innovation, each step forward began with a decision to get involved.
“Go after any opportunities you see or can be a part of,” she said. “It might be hard, but it’ll be worth it.”
It’s a lesson that has guided her journey—and one she hopes will inspire other first-generation students like her.